Fight Your Way Back
by Asulli
Summary: What if Klaus had taken Damon rather than Stefan? A twist on Season 3. Delena.
1. Happy Birthday

**Summary: **So in 2x22 when Stefan locked Damon in the cellar and left to make a deal with Klaus, he was shot down. Klaus saw Stefan to be no use to him and told him he wouldn't give the cure for the werewolf bite. However, when Stefan brings up Damon and how he could be of use to Klaus, he trades his brother's survival for a new life.

**Now: **We are now in the new re-write of 3x01. Enjoy!

–

"Got another lead." Elena said as she entered the Salvatore Boarding House where Stefan was sitting in the living room with a mug of blood, sipping at it.

"Oh boy." Stefan said sarcastically, taking the paper from her and looking it over. They had been searching for Damon and Klaus for months now. They could be tracked, but never successfully found. He was growing tired of searching for someone who didn't want to be found.

"He's your brother Stefan..." Elena said, annoyed with his attitude. He crumbled up the paper and tossed it into the fire. "Stefan! What the hell? This could have been it!" Stefan stood from his spot on the couch and walked a few steps closer to her.

"Yeah Elena, this could have been the one. The clue that tells us that Damon is alive and living in Graceland." Stefan scoffed. He'd become bitter since his brother left town and as he tried to close the gap between them and take her into his arms, she bit back tears as she shoved him away from her.

"He's gone Elena!" He growled, growing angry with her. "He isn't coming back! I saw Klaus compel him to shut off his humanity! He is nothing but a shell of the man we knew. You have to let him go. We have to let him go!" He yelled as Elena shook her head.

"Have a little faith Stefan..." She whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I can't let him go, I won't." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the house and back out to her car. She had to get away from the place he had lived. So she drove.

**Three Months Ago**

"_You're useless to me...the way you are now." Klaus said, pondering it all. "I won't give you the cure you're looking for unless you match my asking price."_

"_Please...it's all I have." Stefan pleaded, keeping his eyes away from Katherine who seemed to almost feel badly for him. If that was possible._

"_No can do." Klaus replied, an evil smirk playing on his face that reminded Stefan much of Damon's. A smirk he would never see again if he didn't get this cure. Then the idea hit him._

"_What about Damon?" Stefan asked quickly. Klaus chuckled._

"_The damaged goods?" He shook his head in disappointment. "He is almost as useless to me as you are."_

"_No...he isn't. He's impulsive and knows how to be discreet. He's got everything I lack and none of the emotional ties that hold me back..." Stefan was trying to rationalize with him but he wasn't sure if it was working or not so he continued. "You could cure him and then take him with you. He'll be of great use to you." Klaus seemed to be considering it._

"_Katerina." He called and Katherine came. He handed her a vial of his blood and compelled her to take it to the Boarding House, give it to Damon, and make him stay put and wait for his arrival. She nodded and rushed out._

"_She won't come back..." Stefan said quietly to which Klaus laughed. _

"_Because she's on vervain. I've been around for a long time Stefan." He said with amusement. Stefan fidgeted, suddenly feeling uncomfortable._

–

_Damon was lying on his bed with Elena, so near death that she could almost feel the life leaving his body. She tried to stay strong, but his "final words" were breaking her apart._

"_You should have met me in 1864." Damon breathed, closing his eyes and releasing a shaky breath. "You would have liked me." It took everything inside of her not to burst into tears. Instead she smiled softly._

"_I like you now..." Elena felt a stray tear fall down her cheek as she leaned down, brushing his lips with her own in a small but perfect kiss. When she pulled away, he was smiling._

"_Thank you..." He said quietly as she laid her head on his chest, curled up with him._

"_You're welcome." She whispered, closing her eyes for a moment before the sound of a voice almost identical to her own made her jump up._

"_Well aren't you two all cozy?" Katherine smirked, making her way across the room to Damon's bed, opening the vial of blood and bringing it to his lips. "Drink." She commanded._

"_You got out..." Damon said, almost pridefully seeing as the vervain thing was his idea to begin with. She smiled._

"_Thanks to you." She said quietly. Just as he started to look like a healthy vampire again though, she pulled out a syringe._

"_What are you doing to him?" Elena yelled as Katherine injected the small dose of vervain into his arm. He fell limp again as if he were now dead. She lifted him up over her shoulder._

"_Klaus wants to talk to him. He won't hurt him, but I know Damon. He's stubborn." She began to carry him down the stairs with Elena hot on her heels. "Trust me, I wouldn't let Damon get hurt. I owe him my life and until I pay that, I have to keep my eye on him at the very least." Oddly enough, Elena felt comforted by her words as she laid Damon's body on the cold floor of the Dungeon. Elena sat beside him as Katherine laughed._

"_Yeah, you can't be here. I have to go elsewhere before Klaus kills me and you are in the same boat as me." She yanked Elena up and dragged her out and into the pantry where the freezer and blood bags were. She kicked and hollered, trying to shake Katherine's death grip._

"_Let me go! What do you care if I live or die?" Elena screamed as Katherine shut her into the small room and bolted the door shut._

"_Never know when I might need my doppelganger for backup." Katherine looked at the door that Elena was pounding on from the other side. "If you want Damon to live, you should probably keep it down seeing as Klaus thinks you're dead. One of the doting Salvatores are sure to find you eventually."_

_And then came the silence. Elena slid down to the cold ground and sat, waiting to hear something, anything. After a while, footsteps made her ears perk up as she pressed her face against the door, straining to hear._

"_Ah, here he is. The man of the hour." Klaus exclaimed upon seeing Damon's weak body litter the ground. _

"_Elena?" Damon questioned in a whisper, trying to push himself off the ground. Klaus looked confused, but Stefan covered._

"_Elena's not here Damon..." He said quietly, almost sadly. It was believable at least. Damon sat up weakly and looked from Klaus to Stefan._

"_What do you want?" Damon voiced weakly._

"_I want you to join me." Klaus said smoothly, compelling him. He held out a blood bag for him. "Here, drink." Damon looked that the bag and took it, sucking down its contents. He watched as Damon devoured the crimson liquid. "That's the spirit." _

_Damon stood now before them, very soldier-like to Stefan. Klaus looked at the exchanged looks between them before stepping in front of Damon. "You feel nothing for this man. We'll be brothers." He compelled. Stefan growled and tried to shove past Klaus, but Damon had already pinned him to the wall._

"_Leave him the hell alone." Damon growled, his voice low and angry. Klaus chuckled and gestured toward the door._

"_Come on Damon. We have work to do." Klaus said simply and Damon released Stefan. He watched as his brother and the original walked out of the cellar and up the stairs. And then it finally hit. What had he done? He'd left Damon with no choice, just gave him over just like that. _

_From the inside of the small pantry, Elena was dumbfounded. She wasn't completely sure what all she had heard, but she knew it was bad. And her heart cried out as if it had just lost the biggest part._

–

It had only been a few hours since she and Stefan's fight and she was already back at the Boarding House. She would have felt pathetic if she hadn't been dragged there by Caroline who was throwing her a birthday party. So as she went upstairs to get ready, she took a turn into Damon's room rather than Stefan's and got dressed into a short white dress she had bought a while back. As she finished up, she began looking about Damon's room, touching things and imagining that if he were here, lying on his bed, he'd just be telling her to stop touching all his stuff and go enjoy the party downstairs with underage drinking and to tell the children not to touch his expensive Bourbons and Scotches. He never did like sharing.

Elena smiled, but realized that she was still all alone in the room. Damon wasn't there. He wasn't going to be. She hadn't even heard his voice in so long. She wasn't aware of how much she would miss him if he were to leave until he actually walked out that front door. Now she'd do anything to get him back. She looked herself over in the mirror before sucking in a sharp breath and turning on her heel to head downstairs and face her party in its entirety.

–

"Nice one, Brother." Damon commended as Klaus found himself a pretty blonde to chew on. Klaus smirked and held up yet another shot to Damon.

"Here's to brother bonding and lovely ladies." Klaus toasted, as both he and Damon downed their shots. Klaus continued playing with the young blonde as Damon sat on the bar stool, moving to the beat of the music.

"Someone's been tracking us." Klaus said suddenly. "Stefan did at first, but now its mostly a dark haired girl. Seems like Katherine is keeping tabs on us." He didn't seem alarmed by the intruders. He must have figured that they weren't a threat, but Damon felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"No big deal. She will give up in time." He said smoothly, laughing and taking another shot. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it was really Katherine following him or was it Elena? The woman he loved? Fuck...he promised himself he wouldn't let himself think of her. It only made him long to be near her...hear her voice, touch her skin, kiss her lips...He felt as if he needed her. Now more than ever.

He watched as the blonde grinded on a rather cheerful Klaus with amusement, but those nagging thoughts of Elena wouldn't leave his drunken mind. He stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to get some air, maybe sneak a bite. I'll be back." Damon explained coolly. Klaus smiled and commended Damon's impulsive personality for what must have been the hundredth time in these past few months.

As soon as the warm summer air hit Damon's cool skin, he felt oddly relieved. Without thinking, he reached his hand into his pocket, fishing out his phone. He pulled Elena's number up on the phone and stared at the small photo next to her name and sighed.

–

Elena had somehow found herself back up in Damon's room in an attempt to hide from the party that was raging downstairs. She and Stefan had found each other on slightly better terms, though she was still rather angry with him so she continued to somewhat avoid him. She plopped down on Damon's bed, remembering the last time she had seen him. When he was dying and she had kissed him on this very spot, trying to hold on to everything for dear life.

The sound of her phone vibrating pulled her out of her thoughts as she reached for it. The number was restricted and she was about to put it on silence before deciding to just answer it.

"Hello?" Elena's voice rang out and was greeted by silence. She made a face and tried again. "Hello?"

"...Hey." A weak but familiar voice finally answered. "Happy Birthday Elena..."

"Damon?" Elena gasped, tears blurring her vision.


	2. Just Drive

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! They are much appreciated!**

"Damon?" Elena's voice quivered as she repeated the name that had been invading her thoughts for months now. The sound of his breathing held a nervous rhythm to it and she wondered if something was wrong. "What's going on...How did this happen?" Of course she knew the answer, she was there. But she asked anyway, hoping to find comfort in his reply.

"Klaus." He breathed the reply, almost in fear. Elena nodded to herself.

"I miss you so much Damon..." She voiced the words that had been on her mind for so long, feeling as though maybe he really needed to hear it. She heard him take a shaky breath.

"I miss you too, Elena." Her name sounded beautiful on his lips. "More than you know..." he added sadly, and a part of her remembered when he had told her that he loved her and how much she meant to him. She had never said it back though. Never admitted that maybe, just maybe, she loved him back. Besides, she was with Stefan. She couldn't just admit loving somebody else, and yet...

"I lo..I care about you Damon. And...I need you here." She had almost said it, but fell short once again. All she wanted was to have him back in her life, and it almost made her feel pathetic because in all honesty, she had no idea what to actually say to him other than stating facts. "We've been tracking you, well I have...Stefan sort of gave up a while back..." Her disdain for Stefan's choice was evident through her tone.

"Who?" Damon asked. He didn't recall knowing any 'Stefan' but it must have been the one Klaus kept mentioning. The one that had followed them about and gotten on his nerves.

"Your brother?" Elena questioned before remembering that Klaus had compelled him not to remember Stefan at all. "My, uh...boyfriend." She corrected quietly, feeling badly now.

Damon saw a flash of green eyes and wavy hair, remembering the vampire who had tried to hurt Klaus that night. He suddenly remembered many instances where he had seen the same vampire with Elena many times before. It made him scowl.

"Oh," He growled lowly. "Good. I was sick of him following us around. Klaus kept me from snapping his neck but he really isn't a very sneaky bastard. Quite loud actually..." He trailed off before shaking his head to himself, feeling the hairs on his skin prickle. "He's no good for you." He added simply and Elena could almost picture the smug look on his face. However, she didn't argue it.

"Come home Damon.." She whispered instead.

"You know I can't." He said in an almost droned voice. It was clearly the compulsion talking.

"You're strong Damon. Fight for it...fight your way back." Elena pleaded before closing her eyes tightly. "You love me...and...I might..." She paused.

"You might what...?" Damon's voice rang through her ears, vulnerability clouding his normally cocky tone. "...love me?" He finished quietly, shocked. She bit her lower lip and nodded as tears filled her eyes.

"Hold on to that Damon..." She said softly. "Please come home." And with that, she clicked the phone off and curled up on Damon's bed as she began to cry.

–

Katherine pulled up to the Salvatore house at what seemed to be the height of the party. As she dodged through the crowd, trying to blend, she found herself constantly being mistaken for Elena. She went along with it though, accepting 'happy birthdays', not wanting to alert anyone to her presence. Especially not Stefan. She searched the party but couldn't seem to find Elena anywhere. Sighing in frustration, she grabbed a bottle of Damon's good Scotch and took it out to the back porch.

She took a swig from the bottle as the rain began to fall. It seemed like her timing was perfect as she concentrated, searching to hear Elena. Finally, she heard her, very faintly, sobbing from upstairs. With a handful of pebbles, she tossed them at the window, causing a distraught Elena to open the window and peer down at her, shock masking her features. Katherine waved and smirked up at her human doppelganger.

"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded, wiping away the remaining traces of sadness.

"Feel like hitting the road?" Katherine asked nonchalantly, taking another swig of the alcohol and leaning against the pillar. "I'll drive." She offered. Elena looked at her as if she had two heads, but then, her look suddenly softened.

"Where?" She asked, almost nervously. Katherine smirked, knowing she had her now.

"Meet me out front." She said simply. Ignoring Elena's question and trotting out into the rain and out to her car.

Elena shut the window tightly and looked around Damon's room one more time. She was crazy for even trusting Katherine, for even considering this whole road trip thing at all. And yet...she felt compelled to get out of Mystic Falls. As she made her way down the stairs, she ran straight into Stefan.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized, his eyes meeting hers and sensing that something was wrong. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly, seeming almost afraid of what her answer may be.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied, flashing him a small smile.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you? I really am sorry. I've just lost hope in Damon returning. I've known him a forever and when he shuts everything off, he does it for years and on his own terms. Only returning when he's good and ready." Stefan shrugged a bit. "It's a slow process."

"He isn't you, Stefan..." Elena said softly, almost wondering if he would have heard her over the sounds of the party if it wasn't for his vampire hearing.

"W-What?" He stuttered, looking at her, clearly stunned by her bold words.

"Damon doesn't just fall completely off the wagon like you do Stefan. There's always a part of him that feels. A part that will come back without it being forced onto him." She said, clearly not in the mood to discuss it any further. Stefan looked appalled.

"Listen, I-"

"I think we should take a break Stefan..." Elena said quietly, trying to avoid his eyes. His features portrayed a man who just didn't understand what was going on. He looked confused and sad, maybe even lost. But being the gentleman he was, he nodded and stepped out of her way.

"If that's what you want..." Stefan said softly, taking her hand in his. "But I'm always here if you need me..." He said, placing a chaste kiss on her hand and backing away to let her leave.

Tears stung her eyes as she discreetly left the Boarding house, running through the rain and hopping into the passenger side of Katherine's car.

"What took you so long?" Katherine asked, starting the engine up and looking Elena over carefully, one eyebrow cocked, as if she were trying to sum her night up in just one glance.

"Just drive." Elena said quietly, pulling her knees up to her chest and trying to just relax. Everything would be okay. It had to be. As she watched the rain pour down on the windshield she wondered just how long it would take for Stefan to realize she had skipped town and gone to...She remembered that she had no idea where they were heading.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked softly.

"Away from here." Katherine answered, unconcerned. Elena let out a frustrated sigh, causing Katherine to roll her eyes. "Chicago." Elena looked at her curiously.

"What's in Chicago?" She asked, watching as Katherine's lips turned upwards into a smirk.

"Damon."

–

Damon made his way back into the bar, wiping a trail of blood from his lips. He hadn't killed the poor girl, but he had certainly gotten enough to tie him over for a while. It turned out that he wasn't quite the heartless monster he used to be.

"Brother!" Klaus called him over, offering another shot. Damon took it and emptied the amber liquid quickly, but feel nostalgic for his fine collection of aging alcohol he had at home. He wondered if they were ever going back to Mystic Falls. If not, he had to find a way back there...he needed to. Elena was there...

"Are we ever going home?" Damon asked as nonchalantly as he could muster. It earned him a scowl from Klaus all the same.

"There's nothing there for us." Klaus said with a dark chuckle. "Nothing but memories of family that I would rather not remember. Neither would you." Damon nodded.

"You're probably right. I guess I just missed staying in one place." Damon admitted before letting out a laugh. "How pathetic." He commented, earning him a pat on the back from a very drunk Klaus who dismissed the topic altogether.

They had been in Chicago for a few weeks now and Damon had taken to staying in an old apartment that Stefan had bought back in his ripper days. The place was a dump at first, seeing as nobody had lived there since the 1920's, but Damon had managed to fix it up a bit and he had to admit, it was a cozy place to sleep at night and he barely even minded Stefan's creepy scrawls on the wall of the secret room. In fact, unless he was getting a booze or some blood bags from his secret stash, he rarely even went in there.

As the night came to an end and Klaus went off to a fancy hotel with a couple loose women, Damon walked back to that apartment with ease as he drunkenly slipped in and shed his clothes. Within minutes, he was curled up in the bed, a cool sheet pulled over him. His body was tired, but his mind wouldn't shut up. All he could think about was Elena and the things she had said to him tonight. God had it been nice to hear her voice after going so long without it. It was like quitting a drug and then giving in months later only to realize you missed it far more than you thought. She begged him to come home and everything inside of him was determined to make that happen. He had to see her and be with her. Even if it wasn't for long.

He just...needed her. With everything he was, he knew that she was the one he wanted and needed in his life. And he wondered just how long he would have to wait for the stars to align, for them to get a chance. As he thought of all the possibilities, sleep took over his tired body as his eyes fluttered closed and he let his mind free fall into unconscious dreaming and thoughts.


	3. Trying

**Author's Note: Thanks again for all the reviews guys! Oh, and I'm thinking of changing the rating to 'Mature' for some Delena scenes later on...What do you think?**

Elena slipped into her room, drying her damp hair with a towel after a nice relaxing shower. She was shocked to see Damon laying on her bed, a smirk on his face. Normally, she would have been annoyed that he had shown up with absolutely no warning, but under the circumstances, her jaw just dropped, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"Miss me?" He asked cockily, that smug smirk never leaving his face. She darted across the room, practically throwing herself down onto his firm body, hugging him tightly.

"More than you know..." She repeated the words he had said to her on the phone and he seemed amused by her as he wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Yeah, I've missed you too." He admitted, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead as he stroked her hair comfortingly. "What have I missed?"

"Not a whole lot. Sadness, mostly. Me abstaining from most vampire-related situations. It's been normal, quiet..." She thought for a moment before adding, "boring, actually." Damon nodded, taking in what she had said.

"Think you have room for one more vampire-related situation in your life?" He asked, his voice smooth as silk, his deep blue eyes nearly piercing her soul. She felt as if they were inching closer and closer to one another as her eyes unconsciously fell to his lips.

"As long as it involves you..." She trailed off, leaning in to capture his lips in a mind-scrambling kiss. It should have been the greatest thing, but something about it felt so unreal. That was when she remembered leaving with Katherine...

Elena awoke with a start, her breathing erratic. Looking around, she realized that it had all been a dream...she had fallen asleep in the car and now, as the morning sun was rising over the interstate, she felt slightly more hopeful than she had just twenty-four hours earlier.

"Look who decided to join the land of the living." Katherine mused, her eyes covered by a pair of dark sunglasses. Elena had noticed several accounts where vampires were overly sensitive to the sun's bright rays, usually when they hadn't had blood in a while. She remembered seeing both Stefan and Damon sport a pair on various occasions.

"You're one to talk, being dead and all." Elena joked, her hopeful mood shining through even to her doppelganger.

"Undead." Katherine corrected and Elena swore that she saw a genuine smile tugging at the corner of the vampire's lips, but it disappeared. "We're going to have to stop for food soon." She announced, alerting Elena to the fact that her stomach had been growling.

"Okay. What do you want?" Elena asked, watching the signs for any good places to stop for food. Katherine seemed to be annoyed.

"Blood." It was all she said and it made Elena gulp ever so slightly, but Katherine's vampire hearing picked it up immediately. "Calm yourself. I'm not about to take a bite out of you or anything." She announced and Elena almost asked why, but decided not to bring it up.

"We can steal some blood bags." Elena suggested nonchalantly, but Katherine shook her head.

"You have a lot to learn." Katherine said quietly, but Elena couldn't stand the thought of some poor human being drained of blood and left for dead. That wasn't the way things had been in Mystic Falls for a long time. Both the Salvatores were peaceful and she had grown use to things being that way. "I won't necessarily kill anyone though." She added, making Elena feel slightly better about it.

They sat in silence for a while as they watched the road that stretched out before them. Elena rested her head against the window, looking out at blurs of the world as they passed by. She wondered where she was heading and what she was getting herself into. She could her Stefan's almost paternal voice telling her that she needed to be protected because his brother was dangerous...impulsive.

"Here." Katherine said suddenly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Elena looked over to see an old leather-bound journal. She took it carefully, opening it up to the first page and letting her eyes scan over the unique calligraphy.

_January 8th, 1926_

_The Originals, Klaus and Elijah, are dangerous. My brother has been spending an alarmingly long time with them, following them about like a lost puppy. It's to be expected though I suppose, seeing as they can compel other vampires. They probably have him under their compulsion._

_I've arrived in Chicago today, barging in on Stefan. He didn't seem to mind too much though. He offered me the couch in his apartment and kept going on about us being big bad vampire brothers like Klaus and Elijah are. They kill so many people though...I don't wish to be like them, not in the least. I only want to help my brother get better...I know I said I hated him, but maybe I only hate who he is._

"Damon kept a journal..." Elena said aloud, realization grabbing hold of her. Katherine nodded.

"Found it in the old Salvatore apartment in Chicago when I crashed there a few years back." Katherine took a turn off the next exit and into a Diner that looked less repulsive than the others they had passed. Putting the car in park and cutting off the engine, she turned to face Elena. "Here's the kicker though; He doesn't remember any of this." Elena looked at her, shock written all over her face.

"He was compelled to forget?" Elena asked, suddenly very curious.

"Exactly." Katherine replied, opening her car door and getting out. Elena followed suit. "That's all I'm going to give you for now." Katherine said with a smirk as they entered the Diner. Elena nodded, she would continue to read until she found out everything that Damon had forgotten.

–

Damon awoke the next morning with his head pounding and tried to remember just how much he had drank the night before. He vaguely recalled being rather pathetic in all honesty. He was a mess...all these heightened emotions were getting in the way. He had considered turning them off completely, but something in the back of his mind kept him from shutting it all off. Probably something to do with Elena.

Elena! He had called her last night...it was all coming back to him. _Fight your way back Damon._ The words rang through his sober mind as he started to remember bits and pieces of their conversation, especially the insinuation that she loved him. He wondered how much of that could be true. Could she really love him? He was a monster. He ripped people's throats out, sucked them dry, and often snapped necks for the fun of it. He half-wondered if maybe she too was drunk the night before. He had called to tell her to stop following him because he didn't want her to get hurt. And yet, he couldn't even recall voicing that at all...

He would find a way back, but in the mean-time, he had to keep Elena the hell away from this place. Far away from Klaus. She seemed safe in Mystic Falls with that asshole of a boyfriend; the pathetic excuse of a vampire. Though envy ran through his veins concerning this 'Stefan' character, something inside told him that Elena would be safe with him at least.

He opened the window to let the bright morning sun shine through, groaning a bit at the strength of its rays. Making his way to his secret room, he opened the bookshelf and grabbed a blood bag, sucking it dry and making his way to get dressed and ready for the day. Wolf-hunting, it was going to be fun. He smirked as he left the small apartment.

–

Stefan sat at the Grill, wishing that he could just sit at the bar and do shots. His seventeen year old body and cover story kept him from trying it though. He sighed and flipped through the pages of a book, but not being able to really get into it. Elena was on his mind and he wondered what she was doing. It had only been a night and he was pathetically pining for her already. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caroline and Bonnie come into the Grill, looking around almost nervously before spotting him. He waved them over casually.

"Have you seen Elena today?" Caroline asked in a rush. Stefan looked at her, concerned.

"Uh, no, but her car is still at my place." He shrugged a bit. "We sort of...broke things off last night. Did she not go home with one of you?" He asked curiously. It was unlike Elena to not have her car. Driving was her favorite escape.

"That's the thing. We haven't seen her since cutting the cake last night..." Bonnie answered, worry clouding her features. Stefan started to feel sick.

"Did you try calling her?" He asked in a haste. Both shook their heads.

"We thought we'd check with you first." Caroline said with a groan. Stefan nodded vaguely and got up.

"I'll find her." He promised, exiting the Grill and pulling out his cell phone. He brought up Elena's number and called it, listening to the dial tone. "Come on Elena...pick up." He whispered to himself nervously.

–

Katherine and Elena were fed and back on the road when the sound of a phone brought them out of their thoughts. Elena pulled the phone from her pocket and looked at the number with a groan. Katherine shot her a sideways glance.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Stefan." Elena replied. "What do I do?"

"Hand me the phone." Elena looked concerned but handed the phone over. Katherine flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Elena? Where are you? We are worried sick..." Elena could hear Stefan's worried voice ring out. Katherine looked amused.

"Oh, well I needed to get out of there. Too restricting." Katherine said in a feeble tone, imitating Elena.

"Without your car?" Stefan's voice sounded unbelieving. "Seriously Elena, where are you? I won't be mad, I'll just come get you."

"Maybe I don't want to be found." Katherine let out a sigh. "I just want to live a normal life without the supernatural. Without constantly waiting for something bad to happen or for Damon to come home and for you to man-up and look for him." She went just a bit too far with it.

"...Who is this?" Stefan asked in a low growl.

"The ever so perfect Elena, of course!" Katherine exclaimed with fake excitement, her real tone coming through now. Elena shook her head, defeated.

"Katherine." He said, and after a beat, "Let me speak to Elena, now." Katherine held the phone out to Elena.

"Its prince not-so-charming." She said sarcastically as Elena snatched the phone away.

"I'm fine Stefan." It was the first thing she said, knowing what he would say almost immediately. He seemed to be in lecture mode and she didn't want to hear it.

"Why are you with Katherine? Where are you going?" He was shooting the questions at her in an annoyed tone that made her mad.

"Doesn't matter. I'm safe and I'll be home soon."

"No, Elena-" She hung up before he could finish his plea, feeling very much like Damon in that moment. Katherine looked at her skeptically.

"Still want to go through with this? It will be dangerous and I can't even guarantee that Damon will come back with us at all..." Katherine sounded sincere for once and it made Elena wonder, but instead, she nodded her head.

"I have to try." Elena said with a shrug as she opened up the old journal. Katherine nodded, her eyes falling back on the road in front of them.


	4. Damon's Choice

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys! I am really enjoying writing this and I know I keep updating everyday but its mostly because my homework load has been surprisingly slow. The gaps between chapters may become longer eventually, but for now, Enjoy! :)**

_January 15th 1926_

_I haven't written in a while, but I feel compelled to do so now. I feel so alive. Never before have I felt so high on life...so free to be the vampire I am supposed to be. Stefan and I have been playing the bars around town here, picking up women, snacking on them. Sometimes, we even compel their fiances to watch as we rip out their jugulars, drinking the sweet crimson liquid until there is nothing left. Stefan likes to tear them apart sometimes, but I've never been that cruel. I'd like to think I have better manners than to do the things my brother does. He keeps this wall...with names of the people he's killed. It's the damnedest thing really. It sort of gives me the creeps to be honest. We aren't very much alike, he and I. In fact, I have more in common with Elijah and perhaps even Klaus than I do with my own flesh and blood._

_Turning off that guilt that comes with killing, and the caring...it has been the best decision I've made since becoming a vampire. I never want to go back to the way I was, I enjoy what I am far too much. The lust of hearing that blood pump through people's veins, anxious to taste...that is what I live for. Not for my brother. Not for the Originals. Not for anyone._

_I don't need anyone._

Elena frowned slightly, reading the words that Damon had scribbled so long ago. It reminded her a lot of the Damon she had known at the start. The one who killed for fun and for the thrills. That Damon was more monster than human. She used to be afraid of that guy. But now, as she read the words, she realized that he had been compelled to turn off his humanity at that point in his life, and it took years for him to feel again. What if it happened again? He wouldn't be back to 'normal' during her lifetime...not by a long shot. Was there a plan for that? Surely Katherine had read these pages, memorized the tortures Damon had lived.

"Are we almost there?" Elena asked suddenly, looking around aimlessly. Katherine groaned.

"What are you? Five?" Katherine asked, annoyed. "We're about ten minutes outside Chicago." She answered, her eyes falling to land on Elena who was nodding solemnly. "How's the reading going?"

"Do we have a plan, Katherine?" Elena asked, knowing that she would know what she meant by that. Katherine smiled.

"Yes." She said simply, taking the next right off the exit to downtown Chicago.

"Care to let me in on it?" Elena asked, bothered by Katherine's lack of concern.

"Nope. You are going to visit Damon and investigate his mental state." She took another turn, knowing exactly where she was going and what her grand plan was. "And I have other business to attend to." Elena scowled at not being let in on the plan, but she had to admit, the thought of getting to see Damon, breathing the same air as him even, made her heart flutter ever so slightly and she hoped that Katherine didn't notice.

"Okay..." Elena agreed thoughtfully. They were silent, left only to their thoughts until finally, they pulled up to an old apartment building. Elena looked up at it nervously, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. After all this time...she was going to see him again. She felt her bravery fleeing as she took a steadying breath.

"I don't see his car so he must not be here yet. Wait for him inside, but be ready to hide in case Klaus barges in. We don't want him knowing that you're alive, not yet anyways." Katherine said vaguely, making Elena wonder just what she had up her sleeve.

"Alright." Elena agreed.

"Top floor, last door on the left." Katherine instructed as Elena nervously exited the car. "You can do this. It's just Damon." She added, making Elena nearly cringe at her sincerity.

"Thanks." Elena nodded and started towards the building.

"See you in a few hours." Katherine called out as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Good luck." Elena said softly as she drove off. She turned towards the building and made her way inside, determined. She was on a mission. After climbing the stairs to the top floor, she turned left and found the last door, jiggling the doorknob and finding it to be unlocked. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and looked around the cluttered apartment. Random articles of clothing littered the floor and the counter had a couple empty blood bags scattered about. She looked around nervously before sitting down on the couch. All there was left to do now was wait.

–

What a long day. Werewolves weren't the friendliest creatures in the world, that was for damn sure. Today was the second time he had almost been killed by one, but luckily, Klaus had saved his skin both times. He just couldn't let him die and he was grateful for it. They had been out on a mission to create successful hybrids, but had no such luck. Even after playing a game of truth or wolfsbane and finding the entire pack, every last one of them died. It was rather depressing actually.

"What is the point of being a hybrid if I cannot make more like me?" Klaus mused aloud to Damon as they walked toward the door to his apartment. Damon shrugged.

"Something's got to be missing. There must be something else we need." Damon replied, turning the door knob to his apartment and stepping over the doorway with ease.

"I just don't know what...Perhaps we do have a need to return to Mystic Falls after all." Klaus said, throwing Damon completely off.

"Why is that?" He asked as coolly as he could muster. Klaus sighed, plopping down onto Damon's couch.

"I have a bad feeling...like something didn't work just quite right when I was breaking the curse." Klaus pondered aloud, Damon felt nervous about just how right he may be. Elena hadn't died and if the doppelganger hadn't died, then perhaps that was why he couldn't have his hybrids. What if he planned to do the whole thing again? He wasn't sure if he'd be able to protect Elena this go around.

"I personally think we are just missing an ingredient. Like Bourbon." Damon offered, causing Klaus to smirk.

"I like the way you think brother." He said, leaning his head back on the sofa and relaxing. Damon nodded, glad to have at least detoured the conversation for now. He walked into the Kitchen area and opened the bookshelf, catching a whiff of something...familiar. Somebody else was here. He whipped his head to look into the secret room, dead at the intruder: Elena.

His eyes widened as she saw the girl with her back against the inside wall. She looked terrified, and yet, relieved to see him. She looked as if she was going to speak, so Damon smiled and lifted a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to remain silent. As he reached in to grab the bottle of booze, he purposely allowed his hand to graze her shoulder, desperate to feel the spark that her touch ignited in him.

Slowly, he backed away and closed the bookshelf, bringing the bottle into the living room where Klaus was now standing. He handed the bottle to Klaus with a smirk.

"This stuff has been in for a long time. It's aged well." Damon said with a wink, suddenly feeling ease. Klaus nodded and took a swig straight from the bottle.

"Mmm. Perhaps this is the key, huh?" Klaus joked, letting out a chuckle. "Care to join me for a drink and some lovely ladies tonight?" He asked, a twinkle in his eyes. Damon chuckled but shook his head.

"I almost died. I think I've had enough excitement for one night." Damon said, defeated as he sprawled out on the couch. Klaus nearly scowled at him.

"You need to drink." He said simply, eliciting a smirk from Damon.

"I've been hunting this girl from a few apartments over for days now. Her blood runs through her veins so melodically that it actually makes me giddy just thinking about it." Damon lied smoothly. "She's gorgeous and I've been scaring the hell out of her, enjoying the chase, but tonight I make my move." Damon gestured a bite in midair and smirked at Klaus who seemed highly amused.

"She sounds delicious. Details tomorrow?" Klaus asked, matching Damon's smirk with a smug smile of his own.

"Of course, brother." Damon said with a low chuckle as Klaus turned to leave. Damon watched as Klaus left, and remained frozen in his spot, listening until he heard Klaus' footsteps completely disappear from his senses. He let out a small sigh of relief and went to the door, bolting it shut.

"You can come out now." He announced quietly, watching as the bookshelf slowly opened, revealing the doe-eyed girl that had been invading his thoughts since the day he met her. He let his eyes scan over her frame, taking in her longer chestnut hair and sparkling eyes. She was wearing a burgundy tank top and a pair of dark jeans tucked into some gray boots that met halfway between her feet and knees. His eyes scanned her carefully, trying not to alert her to how he noticed the way her body curved beneath her clothes.

Elena's breath hitched in her throat as she looked Damon over. His dark hair was messy, his blue eyes shining against his faintly sun-kissed skin. Otherwise, he looked the same in his black v-neck tee and dark wash jeans, his black boots now discarded. She worried that perhaps her eyes were lingering longer than they should, but when her eyes rose to meet his, she realized that he had been staring at her just as intently.

And there they stood. He wanted to close the distance between them, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to be in his arms again, feeling safe and sound. Both wanted to kiss the lips they had missed so dearly...craved in every moment they had been apart. But rather, they stood in silence.

Damon wondered now why she was here and how she had actually found him. Sure, he knew she had been following him, but he never thought that she would just show up on his doorstep. Then it hit him. Elena was here, in Chicago. The same city that both he and Klaus were in. She was in danger.

"Elena..." he started, finally breaking the silence to utter her name in a way that made her heart flutter. Her soft expression filled with love and hope stopped him from saying anything else and in an instant, he had her against the wall, his lips fusing with hers in most passionate kiss either had ever experienced first-hand. She seemed shocked at first, but then she brought her hands up to run her fingers through his hair, kissing him back deeply, matching his passion and desires.

Unfortunately, the moment ended as quickly as it had started and Damon was across the room, his back to Elena. This couldn't happen...she needed to go home; _away_ from danger. She couldn't be there, not now. Not matter how much he wanted her to be. Slowly, he turned to face her, a sad expression masking his features. Elena saw straight into his mind, his heart, his _soul, _even. He could tell as she frowned at him.

"Look, I know you're trying to protect me Damon, but I-"

"You will go home." He commanded, interrupting her. "Immediately." He added, putting on the sternest face he could muster. Elena stared at him in shock.


	5. You Should Go

Elena stared at him in surprise. Just seconds ago, they had been kissing and now he was telling her to leave. She came all the way here and he just wanted her to leave without him? No real explanation at all. A terrible thought entered her drowsy mind, maybe Stefan had been right all along...maybe Damon hadn't wanted to be found.

"I have to wait for my ride..." Elena said pathetically, her tone quiet, feeling stupid now for even coming. Damon nodded and gestured for her to sit before he disappeared into the next room, returning with a bottle of alcohol and two glasses.

"I assume you aren't driving?" Damon asked softly, pouring the liquid into each glass. Elena shook her head silently. She didn't feel like talking now. She only felt broken now as she accepted the glass, taking a sip and making a face at the unique strength of the aged alcohol. Damon did the same.

"I've never cared much for the taste of Gin." Damon admitted, desperate to hear her voice at least for a while before she had to go...before he _made _her go.

"And now?" Elena asked, her eyes fixed on the carpeted ground, not wanting to fall into his seemingly endless blue eyes. She felt sadness, more intensely now than she had in Mystic Falls. There, she was merely dreaming of her return, but now, she was right in front of him, breathing the same air as he was, and he wasn't going to come home with her. It just...hurt.

"Still don't." Damon answered, taking another sip and letting his eyes take in her beauty once again. "But...it's been helping." He trailed off quietly, wishing now that he had more strength within him. His will not to ravish her was growing weaker with every moment that passed them by.

"I know the feeling." Elena said quietly, matching his tone perfectly. They were both rather pathetic. So much love and attraction contained in one room and yet, so much sadness and regret clouded the atmosphere around them. Damon tried to smile, leaning against the wall now, not trusting himself to join her on the couch.

"Been getting into my alcohol stash?" He asked, seemingly amused by the thought of Elena sitting in his living room in front of the fire, drinking bourbon and being all contemplative. Though, the sad expression on her face told him that if she was drinking, it wasn't in a positive light like it used to be when he was there. When she would drink with her friends or steal a sip of his drinks every now and again. No, she was drinking her sadness away in the same ways he had been. She shook her head, finally lifting her sad eyes to meet his.

"No...I know you don't like to share." She said simply, letting her shoulders slouch as she took another big gulp of the Gin in her glass, nearly finishing it now. He was filled with such sadness as he watched. She had been miserable since he had left and it was breaking his undead heart.

"Elena..." He spoke, sympathy lingering in every syllable.

"Don't." She said suddenly, shocking him slightly. "Don't Damon." She said, almost pleading now, her eyes looking as if they were about to burst into tears at any moment now. Damon frowned and lowered himself to sit on the couch beside her.

"Don't what?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't tell you how sorry I am? How I regret missing your eighteenth birthday? How I wish I could apart of your life again?" His voice grew louder now. "Don't tell you that I wish things were fucking different because even in our depressed states, I still want you in every single way?" He ran his hands roughly through his coarse hair, pulling at it a bit in frustration. "It hasn't exactly been a cakewalk for me Elena!" He growled, standing up again and pacing in front of her now. She watched in tears, feeling every single bit of emotion through his words.

"No. Don't tell me those things when you are just going to walk away again." Elena said, standing to meet his gaze. He stopped pacing to stare at her, his lip curled in the way she always remembered it had when he was frustrated.

"I'm not _trying _to walk away! Something is just...keeping me here." He explained loudly. To anyone else, it would have seemed as if they were arguing, but this was the nature of their friendship. They always told each other every emotion that coursed through their minds and bodies; matching each other's loud tones note for note. Nobody ever seemed to get the dynamics of their loud conversations, but the two of them were in perfect understanding of it.

"You've been compelled! Can't you see that?" Elena yelled now, remembering the entries she had read in his journal. Maybe he needed to read them as well in order to understand it all. He was shaking his head. "I was there! I heard Klaus compel you not to remember Stefan and God only knows what else he's compelled you to do."

"Stefan." Damon growled the name lowly.

"Yes, Stefan, your brother. Remember him? You care about him, you always have." Elena said, frustratedly.

"He means NOTHING to me!" Damon yelled, angry now. Elena shook her head.

"That's what he compelled you to think." Elena said quietly now. Damon let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on the couch, rubbing his head in frustration. He closed his eyes, trying to remember Stefan, his brother. Stefan was younger. A vampire. Wavy hair, green eyes. All he could recall were things he had known from the night he shoved him against a wall. He felt nothing for the vampire, and questioned their blood-bond again and again. But...Elena wouldn't lie to him. She had no reason to.

"Why can't I remember him..." Damon asked, his voice a whisper now. Elena looked at him, her eyes filled with compassion as she sat down on the couch beside him, resting a hand on his knee.

"It's going to be okay, Damon." She said quietly. Damon nodded silently. A knock on the door pulled them back into the reality that there was an entire world out there. Someone on the other side, banged on the door, nearly knocking it down. Out of instinct, Damon used his superhuman speed to stand between Elena and the door just as the locks popped and the vampire was standing in the doorway.

"What have I missed?" Katherine asked smoothly, entering the apartment with ease and brushing the door shut behind her. Damon gaped at Elena's doppelganger in shock, looking between the two of them who were sharing a look.

"You are parading around with Katherine?" Damon asked, disbelievingly. Elena shrugged, eliciting a groan from him. He turned his attention to Katherine. "Listen...I know that you only look out for number one but even I didn't think you'd you dumb enough to bring Elena on a suicide mission." He said with annoyance. Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Must you be so dramatic? She's fine." Katherine defended her pet human, smiling down at her. "Besides, we're here to bring your sorry ass back home and I knew you wouldn't just come with me seeing as we aren't too close anymore." That was an understatement, and this time, both Damon and Elena rolled their eyes. "What? Too far?" She asked with a shrug, settling down on the couch and grabbing the bottle of Gin.

"You two need to go." Damon said. "It's not safe here. If Klaus finds out that either of you are alive and in Chicago, things will go very, very badly."

"Kill me and torture her. We know." Elena said. Damon shook his head.

"I'm not letting you put yourself in danger for me." Damon said softly. "Now...please go..." He pleaded, urging for them to go. Elena looked sad but Katherine pulled herself off the couch with a shrug, taking a swig of the alcohol.

"I know where I'm not welcome." Katherine said with a nonchalant expression. "Take care of yourself, Damon." And with that, she walked out through the doorway. Elena lingered in the apartment, her eyes fixed on him as she walked across the room.

"I wish you didn't have to go, but you do..." Damon said softly, bringing his hands to her neck and leaning down to brush his lips gently against hers. She brought her hands up to hold his, desperate to be one with him, even in just this moment. This kiss wasn't as passionate or deep as the one before it, but even in the fleeting moments, it expressed every once of love he had. Elena felt a tear slide down her cheek as he pulled away.

"Come with me..." Elena pleaded one last time. Damon wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb, shaking his head sadly.

"Go home Elena." He said instead, and she turned away from him almost painfully to walk out and join Katherine in the parking lot, only looking back over her shoulder once.

–

It was dark outside as she walked out, lights all around the well-lit city where faceless people were dwelling. As she reached the parking lot, she saw Katherine leaning against the car. She seemed oblivious to the world around her, as if she was deep in thought.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, looking her doppelganger over. Katherine sighed.

"Hope isn't lost yet." She said simply, turning to get into the car. Elena looked up at the apartment building one last time, silently promising herself that she would be back, even if it was against everyone's wishes. She smiled to herself and got into the car and they drove off, leaving Chicago behind.

–

"Well, well...Look what we have here."

Klaus' car sat in the shadows, watching as the two doppelgangers drove away from the Salvatore apartment. Interesting. Especially considering he had been led to believe that Elena was very much dead after he had killed her as a sacrifice. Damon had been holding out on him, and for that he would pay. But first...they'd have to make a nice little trip to Mystic Falls...


End file.
